How TikTok Shop Sellers Scale from Manual Outreach to 28,000+ Messages Per Week
In this deep-dive conversation, we sat down with Sebastian Nelson, founder and CEO of CRUVA (formerly UPTK), to understand how TikTok Shop sellers are scaling from manual creator outreach to managing hundreds of affiliate relationships—and why the operational nightmare of inbox management is the real bottleneck most brands don't see coming.
"I'm just going to be straight with you right from the start," Sebastian tells us as we settle into the interview. "If you're still doing manual creator outreach on TikTok Shop in 2025, you're basically choosing to live in hell."
It's a bold opening, but Sebastian's not one for soft-pedaling. As someone who built a six-figure monthly business selling candle warmer lamps on TikTok Shop before founding the platform that would become CRUVA, he's lived through the exact pain points he's describing.
"Let me paint you a picture," he continues. "Imagine logging into TikTok Seller Center and seeing 900 unread messages. Then 1,000. Then more. Every single day. You're scrolling through hundreds of sample requests, trying to figure out which creators are worth your time, copy-pasting the same responses over and over, and somehow still missing the good ones because they're buried under a mountain of 'hey can I get a free sample?' messages."
He pauses, and there's a flash of recognition—this was his reality not that long ago. "That was my life. And honestly? It almost made me quit TikTok Shop entirely, even though I was doing six figures a month."
The Manual Outreach Trap That Almost Killed a Six-Figure Business
Sebastian's story is particularly instructive because it highlights something most TikTok Shop sellers don't anticipate: success can bury you if you're not prepared for the operational complexity that comes with scaling affiliate programs.
"Here's what most people don't understand about TikTok Shop's creator outreach system," he explains. "There are hard limits built into the platform, and those limits are designed to keep you small."
When we ask him to break down the math, he pulls up a mental spreadsheet that's clearly been calculated many times before:
"When you're just starting out and you get your first sale, TikTok lets you send about 2,000 messages per week. Sounds like a lot, right? It's not. If you're doing this properly—targeting the right creators, personalizing your outreach, actually trying to build something—2,000 messages goes faster than you think."
The real inflection point, Sebastian notes, comes when sellers cross the $2,000 to $50,000 GMV threshold. "That limit bumps up to 28,000 messages per week. Now we're talking. That's when you can really start to scale... except now you have a different problem."
He walks us through the cascading math that reveals the operational nightmare:
- At a 5% response rate, that's 1,400 sample requests per week
- With a 20% approval rate, that's 280 samples to ship weekly
- Each of those 280 creators needs: sample confirmation, tracking info, creator briefs, follow-ups, performance feedback, and contest information if you're running incentives
"You see where this is going?" Sebastian asks. "You're not just sending messages anymore. You're running a full-scale creator management operation. And if you're doing this manually, you're spending 6-8 hours a day just on affiliate communication. That's not building your brand. That's... inbox management."
And then comes the ultimate irony: "Once you cross $50K in GMV, TikTok gives you unlimited messages. Which sounds like a dream until you realize that unlimited messages means unlimited chaos if you don't have systems in place."
The Candle Warmer Story: How Success Almost Became Failure
When we ask Sebastian to walk us through his own journey, he starts with his early days in e-commerce—Shopify stores, Instagram influencer campaigns where he'd pay people $50 to post a story, then Amazon selling.
"I was doing the old-school Shopify influencer thing—you know, paying people 50 bucks to post a story, hoping something would stick," he recalls. "Those days are long gone, but that early experience taught me something important: social selling works. It's just way harder to manage than people think."
His product—a candle warmer lamp that heats candles from above instead of burning them—was a perfect TikTok Shop fit. "I was literally one of the first people to ever sell them on the platform. And that timing? That was everything."
Within months, he was doing six figures in monthly revenue. But the success came with a cost.
"Every morning I'd wake up to 500+ messages. Sample requests from creators I'd never heard of. Follow-ups from creators I'd already sent samples to. Questions about commission rates. Complaints about rejected samples. And buried in there—somewhere—were messages from my top performers, the creators actually moving product, who needed my attention the most."
The breaking point came when a creator who'd generated $10,000 in sales the previous month messaged about a new product launch. Sebastian didn't see the message for four days because it got lost in the noise.
"Four days," he says, shaking his head. "For someone who was literally a business partner at that point. That's when I knew something had to change. I couldn't keep scaling if I was going to be a full-time customer service rep for my own affiliate program."
Building the Solution: From Personal Pain to Platform
The turning point came when Sebastian reached out to a developer friend with a simple proposition: "I need to automate this or I'm going to lose my mind."
They started building what would eventually become CRUVA, initially just to solve Sebastian's own operational nightmare. The first targets were clear:
Repetitive outreach: "Why was I manually typing the same message 100 times a day? Why couldn't that be templated and personalized automatically?"
Follow-up sequences: "If a creator got a sample, they should automatically get a follow-up message when it ships. Then another one three days later. Then maybe a gentle nudge a week after that if they haven't posted. All of this should happen without me touching it."
Creator briefs: "Every sample that went out should include clear guidelines. What to talk about. What NOT to say—this is huge, especially if you're in supplements or anything regulated. Hooks that work. Calls to action that convert. Competitor videos to recreate. All packaged up nicely and sent automatically."
Performance tracking: "I needed to know, at a glance, which creators were crushing it and which ones were posting videos with 100K views but zero sales. Because that happens constantly, and it's a massive opportunity if you catch it."
The results were immediate and dramatic. "Honestly? It changed everything," Sebastian says. "Not just for me, but once other sellers heard about it, they wanted in. That's how the business started."
The Target Collab Plus DM Strategy: Why One Touch Isn't Enough
One of the early breakthroughs Sebastian's team discovered was what they call the "dual-channel approach"—and it's a perfect example of how understanding creator psychology can dramatically improve results.
"If you're only sending target collabs through TikTok Seller Center, you're leaving money on the table," Sebastian explains. "Think about it from a creator's perspective. They're getting dozens, sometimes hundreds of target collabs every week. They're scrolling through that page, and most of them look identical: 'Hey [affiliate name], we'd love to work with you!' Boring. Generic. Easy to ignore."
The solution? Hit them twice. "You send that same target collab AND you slide into their DMs with it. Now you're in two places. You're harder to miss."
But the real secret, according to Sebastian, is the hook. "Here's what doesn't work: 'Hey [affiliate name],' as your opening line. Know why? Because every single brand on the platform is doing that."
What does work? Leading with value in four or five words:
- "70% commission this month"
- "Seen in Target stores nationwide"
- "$20K GMV max budget"
- "Already viral on TikTok"
- "100+ creators making $1K+"
"You want to lead with whatever makes your offer actually special," Sebastian says. "The creators who are serious—the ones actually treating this like a business—will respond to that. And those are the ones you want anyway."
The Sample Avalanche: Filtering for Success
Once outreach starts working, Sebastian warns, brands face a new challenge: too many sample requests.
"This sounds like a good problem to have until you're staring at 1,400 sample requests in a week trying to figure out which ones to approve," he says. "Because here's the thing: you can't approve them all. Samples cost money, shipping costs money, and more importantly, your time costs money."
His filtering criteria prioritize quality over quantity:
Engagement rate over follower count: "A creator with 5,000 followers and a 10% engagement rate is worth way more than someone with 100K followers and a 1% engagement rate. The algorithm doesn't care about follower count. It cares about engagement."
Content quality and TikTok Shop experience: "Are they already posting TikTok Shop content, or is this going to be their first attempt? First attempts usually don't convert well, just being honest."
Niche fit: "If you're selling fitness products, you probably don't want beauty creators. Obvious stuff, but you'd be surprised how many people ignore this."
Past performance: "If they've sold on TikTok Shop before, you can see their GMV history. This is gold. Someone who's done $50K+ in sales for other brands knows what they're doing. Approve them immediately."
The approval rate? About 20%. "You filter, you approve about 20% of requests, and now you're shipping samples. Great. But this is where most brands drop the ball completely."
The Creator Brief That Actually Converts
"Sending out a sample is not the end of your job," Sebastian emphasizes. "It's the beginning."
He's adamant about this point: most creators, even experienced ones, don't know what to say about your product without guidance. "They're hoping you'll give them direction. And if you don't? They're going to wing it. And when creators wing it, the content usually sucks."
His solution is comprehensive automated briefs that include five critical components:
Automated delivery: "As soon as tracking updates to 'shipped,' that creator should get a message with everything they need. Not tomorrow. Not when you remember. Immediately."
Competitor videos to recreate: "If you have viral videos from competitors in your space, send them. Creators LOVE this because it removes the guesswork. They have a template. They know what works."
Proven hooks: "Give them 5-10 proven hooks. Exact wording they can use."
What NOT to say: "This is especially critical if you're in regulated categories. Supplements? They can't say 'weight loss' even if it's an appetite suppressant. You need to be explicit about this because if they screw it up, your product can get flagged or your shop can get shut down."
Clear calls to action: "Tell them exactly what to say to drive clicks. 'Link in bio,' 'Yellow basket,' 'Shop now.' Don't make them guess."
The results speak for themselves: "If you're doing 50-100 samples a month and every single one of those creators is getting this level of guidance? Your conversion rate on samples-to-sales is going to be dramatically higher than brands just throwing samples out and hoping for the best."
The 100K Views, 5 Sales Problem (And How to Fix It)
One scenario Sebastian has seen repeatedly—and one that perfectly illustrates the importance of coaching creators—is what he calls "the viral failure."
"A creator posts a video about your product. It goes viral. 100,000 views. You're excited. This is going to be huge. You check the sales... and it's five sales. Five."
What happened? Click-through rate.
"A video with 100K views should be generating 50-100 sales at minimum," Sebastian explains. "If it's only getting five, that means the click-through rate is under 1%, which means people watched the video, thought it was entertaining, but didn't feel compelled to actually click through and buy."
The three main culprits:
Weak call to action: "They didn't tell people to click. They didn't make it urgent."
Poor product showcase: "The video was funny or interesting, but it didn't actually show the product being used in a way that makes you want it. Entertainment without demonstration doesn't convert."
Wrong audience: "Sometimes a video goes viral outside the intended audience."
But here's where Sebastian's approach differs from most brands: he sees this as an opportunity, not a failure.
"That creator just proved they can make viral content. If you follow up with them—and I mean actually reach out, personally—and give them feedback like, 'Hey, that video was incredible. The views were amazing. I think if we tweak the call to action to emphasize X, we could see way better conversion. Would you be open to posting a follow-up?'—most creators will say yes."
Why? "Because they want to succeed too. They want their videos to convert because that's how they make money. And if you're the brand that actually helps them get better at this? You've just built a relationship."
The Relationship Economy: Why Top Creators Are Business Partners
When we ask Sebastian about the difference between brands that retain creators and those that burn through them, he doesn't hesitate: "Your top creators are not vendors. They're business partners."
His philosophy is simple but rarely practiced: "If you have a creator doing $10,000 a month in sales for your brand, you should know their name. You should have their phone number. You should be checking in with them regularly, not just when you need something."
He shares an example that perfectly encapsulates his approach: "I've literally gotten on calls at 6 a.m. my time—I'm in California—to help sellers work through issues with their affiliate programs because that's how important this stuff is."
The investment pays off in ways that compound over time. "That level of care—actually giving a shit about the people who are making you money—that's rare. And it pays off."
Sebastian points out that creator communities are more interconnected than most brands realize. "Creators talk to each other. They're in group chats, Discord servers, Telegram groups. When you treat them well, word spreads. When you treat them poorly, that spreads even faster."
He's seen the dark side too: "I've seen brands get blacklisted by entire creator communities because they rejected sample requests rudely or didn't pay out commissions properly or just ghosted creators after they posted content. That's a death sentence in this space."
The flip side? "If you build a reputation as a brand that actually supports creators, responds to messages, gives good feedback, and treats people fairly? You're going to have creators reaching out to YOU asking to promote your products. That's when you know you've made it."
The Unlimited Messages Reality: When Scale Requires Systems
Once brands cross $50K in GMV, TikTok removes all weekly message limits. We ask Sebastian what happens at that point.
"This is when most people think, 'Great, time to spam everyone!' And that's exactly the wrong approach," he says emphatically.
"Unlimited messages doesn't mean unlimited opportunity. It means unlimited responsibility. Because now you need systems that can scale infinitely."
The infrastructure requirements at this level are significant:
- Automated outreach with multiple audience segments
- Auto-responders for common questions
- Automated brief delivery based on sample status
- Performance dashboards that surface issues automatically
- Follow-up sequences that run without human input
- Contest structures that gamify performance and reward top creators
"This isn't just about saving time," Sebastian explains. "It's about creating an affiliate program that's actually better for creators because they're getting faster responses, clearer guidance, and more support than they'd get from a brand doing everything manually."
The Two-Year Window: Why Timing Still Matters
As TikTok Shop approaches its two-year anniversary in September 2025, we ask Sebastian about the opportunity landscape.
"The window is closing, but it's not closed yet," he says. "The big brands—your Procter & Gambles, your Unilevers, your major consumer goods companies—they're starting to pay attention now. They're allocating budgets. They're hiring teams."
But there's still opportunity for smaller, faster-moving brands. "They're still slow. They're still figuring it out. And that means there's still room for the scrappy entrepreneurs who move fast, who understand creator relationships, who treat this like a real business instead of a side hustle."
Sebastian is bullish on what's still possible: "You can still be first to market in product categories. You can still build a six-figure brand in six months if you nail the affiliate strategy. You can still outcompete brands with 100X your budget because TikTok Shop rewards engagement and authenticity, not ad spend."
But he's also realistic about the increasing complexity: "The brands that are going to survive the next phase are the ones who've built real operational systems—not just scrappy hustle, but actual scalable infrastructure."
The Six-Week Roadmap
When we ask Sebastian for tactical advice for brands just getting started, he outlines a six-week framework:
Week 1: Set up targeting criteria. "Who are your ideal creators? What niches? What engagement rates? What follower counts? Get specific."
Week 2: Build outreach templates. "Hook, body, call to action. A/B test different hooks. See what resonates."
Week 3: Create creator brief template. "Competitor videos, hooks, brand guidelines, what to avoid. Make it comprehensive but scannable."
Week 4: Set up approval criteria and start sending samples. "Track who posts, what performs, and start building your data."
Week 5: Launch a simple contest. "Tier 1: Easy to hit, small reward. Tier 2: Stretch goal, medium reward. Tier 3: Big goal, big reward."
Week 6: Start personalizing follow-ups to top performers. "Build real relationships with your top 10 creators."
"This isn't complicated," Sebastian emphasizes, "but it is consistent work. The difference between brands that succeed and brands that fail on TikTok Shop usually isn't product quality or pricing. It's operational excellence in managing creator relationships."
The Bottom Line
As our conversation winds down, Sebastian returns to the core thesis that nearly cost him his business before it led him to build CRUVA.
"Manual outreach on TikTok Shop is a temporary solution to get started. But if you're serious about building a real brand—something that does multiple six figures or seven figures annually—you need to start thinking about automation and systems from day one."
He's candid about his own near-failure: "I almost quit a six-figure-per-month business because I didn't have systems in place. Don't make that mistake."
His final message is both encouraging and challenging: "The creators are out there. The audience is on TikTok. The platform is still rewarding early movers. But the operational complexity is the real challenge. Solve that, and you can scale as big as you want."
"We're still so early in this that if you can figure out the operational side—the boring stuff that most people don't want to think about—you can build something genuinely massive while everyone else is still manually copying and pasting messages into DMs."
The question, as Sebastian sees it, isn't whether TikTok Shop affiliate marketing works. "It obviously does. The question is whether you're going to build the infrastructure to do it at scale, or whether you're going to stay stuck in manual mode until you burn out or get lapped by someone who figured it out faster."
Sebastian Nelson is the founder and CEO of CRUVA (formerly UPTK), an AI-powered creator management platform for TikTok Shop brands. Before founding CRUVA, he scaled multiple e-commerce businesses from Shopify to Amazon to TikTok Shop, where his candle warmer lamp brand reached six figures in monthly GMV within three months.
